You Found The Bottle

A thank-you note to my readers!

Happy St. Patty’s Day from Connecticut. I’m not out celebrating, sadly. No, I’m sitting here with Mo, who is staring at me.

Mo’s primary hobby is staring, particularly when I’m at my desk working. My husband left for the city hours ago and won’t be back until after most of you have finished dinner, so it’s just the two of us most weekdays. Me, Mo, and whatever is happening inside my head, which, depending on the day, is either a productive place to be or a genuinely terrible one.

But lately I’ve been in a good headspace, and I’d like to thank you all for that. Why? Well, The Unwritten Rules of Magic is going to a second printing! It’s not a huge number, but it means that the hardcover sales hit my publisher’s initial print run expectation in its first month (thanks, in part, to you).

Here’s some context, in case you’ve ever wondered how the sausage gets made. Roughly four million new books hit the American market every year. Every single one of them is somebody’s dream, somebody’s year of lost weekends, or somebody’s manuscript that got rejected a dozen times before it found a home. Research says the average traditionally published book sells fewer than 500 copies in its first year. About 96% of all books ever published never reach 1,000 sales over their entire lifetime. And to hit the New York Times bestseller list, you need to sell at least 10,000 copies in your first week alone. We authors lose sight of these facts when inundated online by celebratory author and Bookstagram posts, but these startlingly low sales numbers are the reality for many (and the reason most authors keep their day jobs).

Basically, all of us authors are out here throwing our message in a bottle into an ocean already completely full of bottles, hoping ours somehow finds its way to the surface.

I know what I write doesn’t exactly improve my chances. My books are not the feel-good beach reads or twisty thrillers that routinely sit on those bestseller lists. I prefer exploring life’s uncomfortable corners because, to me, there’s real value in holding a prism up to humanity’s messy parts, letting the light hit them differently, and seeing what we recognize in those reflections. However, not everyone is looking for or enjoys that kind of reading experience.

So, here is what I also want to say to the people on this subscriber list (in addition to thank you):

You’re willing to pick up a book that isn’t going to let you off the hook. You read stories that hold a mirror up to ordinary life, even when the reflection is unpleasant, because you understand that looking clearly at hard things is how we can start to make sense of them. That’s not a small thing. That’s how we grow and tap into empathy for different points of view. And in doing so, we can contribute to making the world a friendlier place for all.

The fact that you’re here, that you read my book, that some of you emailed me or told a friend or just sat with it for a while, is what this second printing is made of. Not algorithms or marketing budgets or a spot on a celebrity book club list. It was thanks to you deciding it was worth your time. So thank you from the bottom of my heart for being on this journey with me.

Also, let’s spread the love by sharing the names of authors or books you feel haven’t received the public appreciation they deserve!

Mo is now sighing loudly, so I think it’s time for his walk. I could use the exercise, so until next time, happy reading!